I realize that "f*ck google" is one of the tags for this thread, but I'm going to risk having my head bitten off, and being drummed out of this community. I am going to claim that the best handheld gnu/linux machine for 2017 and the foreseeable future is an Android phone running Termux. Termux allows you to run gnu/linux applications, on an unrooted Android phone, compiled for 64 bit arm. Termux is open source, with an active community. I can run Python 3.6, iPython, sympy, numpy, scipy and astropy. I run it on recent hardware (a Pixel XL), and when that machine is obsolete, it'll be trivial to get newer hardware. If I cared about Google's collection of my data (which I don't), I could just create a throw-away gmail account for it under a phony (no pun intended!) name, and leave it in airplane mode all the time. If I cared about a hardware keyboard, I could run it on a Blackberry phone, or some other Android phone with a keyboard. What currently available handheld gnu/linux machine is better than this?

I wouldn't call it the best gnu/Linux machine.. More the best gnu/Linux emulator app for Android phone.

the fact you are posting here is ample proof enough tmo is not dead.
If tmo were dead...you would get no response when trying to even navigate to the site.
tmo having fewer members than in the beginning ...is a given.
tmo catering to unique devices and hence unique individuals makes it niche enough to mean it will have few individuals present.
But since tmo caters to not just one or two devices or platforms...but many...and continues to grow thus....adding new devices and platforms to its ranks...I doubt it will die ..at least not in the foreseeable future.

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I wouldn't call it the best gnu/Linux machine.. More the best gnu/Linux emulator app for Android phone.

I disagree. It's running gnu apps on a real Linux kernel. It produces an glibc API for application code. The only unusual thing from a gnu/Linux point of view is the hybris and bionic layers, but that can all be thought of as a very bizarre glibc implementation. The only really nonstandard thing I can see is that /proc is not visible, so utilities that pull information out of there don't work (at least under Android Oreo - I think /proc was accessible in earlier versions of Android).

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The only unusual thing from a gnu/Linux point of view is the hybris and bionic layers, but that can all be thought of as a very bizarre glibc implementation.
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Indeed! Also issues with drivers. Not much of a machine if you can't control it. Any significant advantage of termux over gnu root debian or linux on android. Both work as a linux terminal. Also both can make a desk top environment. Just askin'

Hi. Happen to notice that bash auto completion works fine on Gnuroot Debian (my phone is not rooted). Also have access to files on internal storage of phone. Is there a way to have access to files in internal storage using Termux? Or is it a self contained linux environment?

Any significant advantage of termux over gnu root debian or linux on android. Both work as a linux terminal. Also both can make a desk top environment. Just askin'

Sadly, Android version 8 (Oreo) broke gnuroot Debian (see https://github.com/corbinlc/GNURootDebian/issues/206). It looks like the issue may be "seccomp filtering" which was added in Oreo. This problem was noticed immediately upon the initial release of Oreo, a couple of months ago, and it has not been fixed yet. I get the feeling that gnuroot Debian has fewer people working on it than Termux does.

I've used both, and gnuroot Debian seemed to give a more "fully gnu/linux" feeling than Termux does. It felt like a regular changeroot environment. gnuroot Debian has an integrated X11 server, which Termux does not.

However, gnuroot Debian is a 32 bit Arm environment, and Termux is 64 bit. Even if you disabled wakelock and wifilock on gnuroot Debian, it still occasionally drained significant battery power even when you weren't running any code with it. Termux doesn't do that. Also, Termux supports setting up scripts that are run whenever the handset is booted, and also can be integrated with Tasker.

Termux only supports passwordless ssh logins to the handset; there is no concept of a user account, so you have to copy your public ssh keys onto the handset if you want to allow logins via sshd, and since there's no password then, it's a bit less secure than logging in using sshd under gnuroot Debian.

Sadly, Android version 8 (Oreo) broke gnuroot Debian (see https://github.com/corbinlc/GNURootDebian/issues/206). It looks like the issue may be "seccomp filtering" which was added in Oreo. This problem was noticed immediately upon the initial release of Oreo, a couple of months ago, and it has not been fixed yet. I get the feeling that gnuroot Debian has fewer people working on it than Termux does.

I've used both, and gnuroot Debian seemed to give a more "fully gnu/linux" feeling than Termux does. It felt like a regular changeroot environment. gnuroot Debian has an integrated X11 server, which Termux does not.

However, gnuroot Debian is a 32 bit Arm environment, and Termux is 64 bit. Even if you disabled wakelock and wifilock on gnuroot Debian, it still occasionally drained significant battery power even when you weren't running any code with it. Termux doesn't do that. Also, Termux supports setting up scripts that are run whenever the handset is booted, and also can be integrated with Tasker.

Termux only supports passwordless ssh logins to the handset; there is no concept of a user account, so you have to copy your public ssh keys onto the handset if you want to allow logins via sshd, and since there's no password then, it's a bit less secure than logging in using sshd under gnuroot Debian.

Thanks for the background information. I hope a work around for the seccomp filtering issue is possible. Seems like the minute you get a little comfortable with things someone pulls the rug from underneath you...